Abducted, tortured, but not completely broken
by lina7pjo
Summary: During the final war, Percy suddenly feels a sharp pain to his side and passes out. When he wakes up, he finds himself in Gaia's clutches, and he is the only one that can change the course of the war.
1. Chapter 1

It was all still a blur to him.

Sure, he remembered stumbling out of Tartarus with Annabeth by his side. He remembered the seven's relieved faces when they saw that their friends were okay. He also recalled flashes and booms coming from behind him, as monsters and giants stomped down the Doors of Death. And of course: The way his own battle cries mixed with the rest of the seven as they all charged for the final war.

At one point, he felt a sharp pain to his side, and fell to the ground. Someone behind him screamed. Another touched his shoulder warily. His sight was foggy, but he saw a silhouette of a woman in front of him. Every monster parted ways to let her forward. She was beautiful, he vaguely thought, before he passed out.

After that… Nothing. He woke up to darkness, his hands in handcuffs. It was cold. He tried not to make a sound while slowly detangling his hands. No such luck. The woman from the battlefield paid him a visit. She was indeed beautiful, but radiated a sense of coldness that made him uneasy. Also, the biggest catch: She had her eyes closed, and that sick smile was indeed permanent. It didn't take long for him to figure out who she was. It was still hard to accept that as the only form of her he knew was the giant sleeping head in his demigod dreams. She came in and said: "I already said I had big plans for you! Let the fun begin!" Apparently, Gaia the primordial goddess of earth's idea of fun was a tad different from his.

She took a hold of his arm, and started walking. He had still no idea where he was, and his eyes darted desperately at walls, trying to find an escape. How Gaia manoeuvred them in the right direction, he had no idea. Every time he tried to break free from her grip, her grip tightened. Her creepy smile was still intact. He wanted so badly to kick her face and remove that smile from her face. He made a promise to himself: Later. More people joined them. He could see their shadows from behind him. Probably her minions, he thought. Seeing her calling for backup made him proud.

They stopped. She let go of his arm. When he looked up, his heart crawled up his throat. He stood in some sort of a ring, with seats for audience around him. That wasn't the reason for his awareness. It was the audience. They were all monsters-more specifically every monster he had ever defeated.

The monsters didn't come at him all at once. Not that they lacked the motivation. It was more like that Gaia wouldn't let them. Every night a new monster would inflict wounds on him, and kill him… but not really kill him. When he passed out from exhaustion or pain, Gaia would force the life in him again, and send him back to his cell. His wounds never truly healed, and every night new wounds would appear. He pretty much felt like Saehrimnir, the beast the ancient Norse people hunted and killed every night. Yeah, he was the Saehrimnir of entertainment for Greek monsters. Thinking about the Norse creature, made him also think about the person he learned the myth from. At first, he was all like: "Im gonna be strong for her. I refuse to give up. I will meet her again". The first few days, his eyes shone of pride. He refused to scream, or even acknowledge his wounds. He even tried to fight back. But it was impossible, even for a strong demigod like him. Every attempt of getting out had failed. After nearly dying many times, and being resurrected just as many times, something was bound to happen. All he felt was broken and hollow.

It was on what he assumed was the 37-th day of his abduction that something changed. He was laying on the floor, shivering. His shoulder felt like it was on fire- courtesy of Atlas. His leg was definitely broken. His whole body was burning. Suddenly, queen dirt face herself emerged. Her visits had started to come at the minimum, so he was surprised. She still had her eyes closed, and cackled like a maniac. She stepped inside his cell, and hauled him to his feet. He didn't meet her eyes. She shook him like a ragdoll, and tossed him with no difficulty against the wall. She was getting even stronger. He couldn't help it: He groaned in pain. Then he growled at her. The chains that bound his arms to the wall rattled. Oh, how he wanted to punch the living daylights out of her, and trample her back in the ground-where she literally belonged. But his arms just wouldn't obey him anymore.

\- Aww, what is this? No friends….no gods…no Annabeth to save you. What took them so long? Do they even care? She had hit a weak point. He tried to keep awake, but his eyes turned drowsy. He had problems standing at his own feet. Gaia came closer, and punched his gut. He doubled over. She laughed that evil laugh of hers. Lately, she wouldn't even talk to him at all. But when she did, he also didn't let go of the chance of humiliating her.

\- What? You almost sound relieved… He managed to croak out.

\- It's almost as if seven demigods and the Olympian Gods scare an ancient goddess as yourself. She slapped his face. He also knew what her weak point was. He also had a plan, a complete hopeless one, but still a plan, nonetheless. The only problem was that she had the upper hand. Even though his ears ringed, he smiled through his split lips. The look of shock that passed over her face felt good.

\- I am not afraid of anybody. You know what? Your screams have kind of starting to bore me. It's a pity, really, that you won't join us, and end this misery of yours. To make you choose the right side, the winning side of this war, were going to pay homage to your very own home and see who is afraid.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy had been at Olympus many times before, but the place still never failed to amaze him. Even with his barely conscious state, he was awestruck. However, it was somehow different from what he remembered. Better, even. At first, he couldn't quite pinpoint it. When he eventually figured it out, he wanted to slap his forehead for his stupidity, which was impossible because of his hands being in handcuffs. Gaia's guards had a death grip on each of his arms and hauled him forward. His gaze swept over the place, before zeroing in on a small name…no… signature of the architect herself. The words "Annabeth Chase" were written neatly on a plate, and Percy wanted to sob. This was the closest he had been to her in a long time. Sensing his sudden change in mood, Gaia got an irritated look on her face, and ordered her guards to march ahead.

In the throne room, the Gods were fighting again. Zeus stood tallest, and argued with Poseidon, whose eyes flashed dangerously. Gaia cleared her throat loudly. The gods looked up, before they gasped. It was dead silent. Percy could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he dared not look up. Gaia turned to the big three, and said:

\- Well, hello my grandchildren! How are you all! By the way, you don't really need to answer that question. It was still completely silent. It was all a bit funny, actually. The ancient earth goddess herself was standing in the middle Olympus, and no one even drew their weapon. Percy would have laughed if he didn't struggle to keep standing on his own feet.

\- You…. You… Poseidon threatened.

\- Release my son this instant! He yelled, his voice thundering and echoing across the room. Gaia had a sick look of glee across her face, and clapped her hands together.

\- This is so much fun! Had I known before, I would arrange more family gatherings! Percy groaned inwardly. "Please don't", he thought. Gaia cleared her throat.

\- But I still think we should invite some more family members! The more, the merrier! Percy hoped she was not referring to the giants, Kronos and the rest of her minions, because things would get messy. Up until this moment, his desperate plan was working. The plan was so simple- Percy had trouble believing it. In the corner of his eye, he saw Athena gesturing to him. He swallowed, and tried telling her: "Wait". Gaia made a swirl with her hand, and suddenly six figures landed flat on the ground. When they finally turned, Percy caught a glimpse of familiar faces. He silently breathed a sigh of relief. They were okay. His friends were okay.

\- You… You… What….Where is he? Annabeth managed to spit out. Percy could hear the anger in her voice, but also the slight tremble. He wanted to run to her, to hold her in his arms, and never let go. He wanted to tell her that he was okay, that he was alive. He had to refrain from sobbing. Gaia cackled.

\- Is this the respect I get? And to think of… I brought you a gift! Gaia stepped to the side, and revealed his barely conscious and beaten form to his friends. They all gasped loudly, and it made him wonder how bad he actually looked. He certainly felt bad, his skin feverish and cold all at once, full of sweat, dirt, blisters, bruises, and gods now what else. Also: He was scared out of his mind. His whole body prickled with tension. Poseidon was gritting his fists together, looking murderous. Piper had her hands over her mouth. Frank clenched his jaw. Annabeth looked like someone had punched her in the gut. She took a shaky step forward, only to be stopped by Gaia.

\- Don't you dare… She turned to Percy, and kicked him in the stomach. He doubled over, wheezing in pain. Hazel stifled a sob. Leo put an arm around her.

\- If anyone tries to help him… Gaia left the threat hanging, but the message was clear. Gaia turned to me.

-Do you see it now? You always taunt me with how I am afraid of the gods and their… little assets. You consider yourself as pretty important to a lot of these people. Still, they won't help you. They tremble with fear seeing me. Have you gotten your proof now? Will you join the winning side of this war? Percy didn't answer her. Fortunately, a few of the Gods seemed to finally catch on. "Its working!" he thought as he struggled to keep himself on his feet. His head felt heavy. His whole body ached with pain, but he had to keep awake a while longer. He locked eyes with Hestia. A sort of understanding passed between them. He hoped she understood what he wanted her to do. Meanwhile, Athena rose from her throne and bowed. Percy could see the distaste on her face.

-Almighty Gaia, I have a question for you. In the battlefield, you could have taken anyone from the seven. Why Percy? I mean… It's not like I care for the sea-spawn. It's just… I am rather curious. Gaia turned to her.

-Of course you are, she chuckled slightly, but Percy could see Athena's comment had struck a nerve. He smiled inwardly.

-Yeah, she is right. There are more powerful demigods than him. Take Jason Grace, for example. He is a son of Zeus, the king of the Gods, Hera caught on. Jason and Zeus both glared at her.

-No, that's not it… I have great plans for him… Gaia tried to explain. Her voice was not that confident anymore.

-My lady…It doesn't have to do with the earth consisting a lot of water… Does it? Poseidon said, though clenched teeth. Percy wanted so desperately to hug him. "Yes, please keep stalling", he thought.

-Yeah… about 71 %, actually, Annabeth butted in helpfully. His chest swelled with pride. Gaia's permanent creepy smile wavered slightly.

-You used the boy as a pawn… Artemis said. Gaia looked murderous. She opened her mouth several times, and closed it again as she was interrupted by some random god.

-No, wait a second…

-No matter how many minions you gather, if the boy is on our side, you can never win, Ares said. He nodded, almost as if he approved.

-No! Fools! Thats not what… That's not… She didn't get to finish her sentence, because in the exact same moment a loud boom was heard. In a cloud of black mist, the Lord of the Death himself appeared. "Bless Hestia and her brilliance", Percy thought. All of the Olympian gods and the seven destined to put Gaia back to sleep were all in the same room. There was no way Gaia could win this time. Unfortunately, Gaia also realized she had been tricked. She raised her hand to call on the giants, but before she could do that, all hell broke loose.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

It was complete chaos.

Percy stood in a whirlpool of angry demigods and gods attacking with their weapon of choice. In the element of surprise, Percy managed to wiggle away from the guards holding him. His vision blurred. His legs were about to give up. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the dizziness. Percy felt like puking from nausea, but he had nothing in his stomach. Someone …no, Leo pushed a sword in his hands, and he wobbled forward, attempting to help his friends.

Meanwhile, Gaia had put a shield around her. For once, her cold, disturbing smile had completely vanished. She tried desperately to open her eyes in vain, while trying to call on her minions. "There is no way you are going to win today, you monster", Percy thought. Her two bodyguards tried to hold back the angry mob, but even they would get overrun in the end. So far, things were in their favour…

But not for long. Gaia did eventually manage to call on her followers. A horde of angry giants, monsters and gods know what else threatened to invade the throne room, trapping the demigods and gods inside. Olympus was so hopelessly outnumbered. Percy slashed and hacked around himself, hoping he was helping his friends, and not killing them. There were enemies everywhere. Sometimes Percy fought alongside his father. He sent mini hurricanes that wrapped around random giants legs, sending them flying across the room. Watching them explode in golden dust was satisfying. Other times he helped some random god as best as he could. But most times, he stood back to back with Annabeth, and they recreated the same kind of enchanting magic they always did in the battlefield. Their moves synchronized with each other completely, and it was so simple for him to just slip into it, almost like ritual. Still… Percy could literally feel the energy seeping out of his body. It was only a matter of time before he would collapse from exhaustion.

\- Hey! Yo Percy! It's good to have you back! Piper shouted from somewhere to his left. He smiled gratefully at her.

\- It's good to _be_ back.

\- We have to kill her by striking all at once, she said. Percy agreed, while trying to catch his breath. Frank was currently in bad-ass-firebreathing dragonform, and he landed right beside him with Hazel on his back. Jason and Leo both were fighting against one giant. Frank, now in human form, squeezed Percy's shoulder.

\- Don't worry man. I got them. Percy scanned the room. A giant was slowly creeping up on Annabeth while she was distracted. His heart crawled up his throat. Without thinking, he threw the nearest weapon he could find. It hit the giant on the head, and he went out cold. Percy breathed a sigh of relief. Annabeth gave him a thumbs up in thanks. Percy turned to Piper.

\- How do we execute our plan in this chaos? Hazel asked her. Piper looked deep in thought.

\- What if… what if we kill the leader, and the rest will just… I don't know, "scram"? Percy nodded.

\- Yeah, I think she is right. Her minions does not do anything else then following orders. They… depend on her. If she is gone, they will hopefully be weaker.

\- Hopefully?

\- We don't have another choice anyway, Annabeth said, joining them.

\- This place will be overrun in 10 minutes, max. Hazel swallowed hard.

\- Lets do this, guys, Jason said. Frank and Leo nodded in agreement.

The seven demigods formed a circle, waiting for Gaia to come find them herself. And she did. She circled them with her smile intact.

\- Your stupid little plan didn't work out at all, did it? Don't you see it? My children are finishing everything. Percy growled at Gaia. He took a stride forward, and hit her face with his elbow. For a second, Gaia faltered, her grin gone. She quickly recovered, and laughed in his face.

\- Really? It's a shame Percy… I gave you a chance. The gods think I used you as a pawn. They think I captured you because I wanted to use you. But Percy… I know about the tough life you've been living, both as a demigod and a mortal. And on top of it all, the way Gabe treated you… I wanted… I honestly wanted to give you a second chance at a happier life. And you would be happy, had you chosen wisely.

\- Shut up! Percy was so full of rage he thought he would explode. He pressed the tip of his sword at Gaia's throat.

\- You tortured me! Every night you would… Percy's voice died away. Gaia wiped away fake tears and sniffled. His friends looked at him, concerned.

\- I don't believe you! You are lying! He shouted. Gaia cackled.

\- No, honey. You are lying to yourself… Percy raised his sword.

\- NOW! The seven demigods ponced at her at the exact same time. Percy put all of his anger and frustration out with every thrust. Gaia wailed with her arms, and screamed. They ponced again. She sunk deeper and deeper into the earth. At last only her sleeping face was visible in the ground. Gaia being gone did indeed start a chain reaction. Giants lost their concentration. Ares rammed his fist into some random giant- and he exploded in golden dust. Zeus threw thunderbolts- and zapped monsters everywhere. Other enemies just ran away screaming. At last-, The Olympian Gods and seven demigods were left in the throne room. Percy turned to Annabeth. She had a nasty cut over her forehead, and looked exhausted- but to him she was still breathtakingly beautiful. He put his arms around her and hugged her tight.

\- No judo-flip this time? He asked her jokingly. She just punched his shoulder. Soon, the rest of the seven joined them in a group hug. Leo wiped away fake tears and mumbled:

\- Man! That was _epic_! Zeus cleared his throat.

\- Congratulations demigods. You did it- with a lot of help of course.

\- Of course, Percy mumbled. Annabeth grinned knowingly. Zeus turned to Percy:

\- I still got a question though. We were all a part of this plan of yours. But what exactly was the plan? Percy took a step forward and bowed.

\- Zeus… I don't deserve the credit alone. Abroad Argo II, the seven of us played this game… We came up with worst-case scenarios in our heads- and found a solution to them. We thought that something like this could happen- Gaia kidnapping one of us and use us. The plan we came up was actually just to challenge her. She is proud. When she captured me she wanted me on her side. She wanted to show me how powerful and fearless she was. Every once in a while, I would sneak in a comment or two about her fear. Her fear of losing to the seven and the gods. It took a while, but she fell right into my trap. She marched to Olympus without her army, her proudness getting in the way. Or she was just very sleepy- and sleepiness clouded her judgement. Anyway, I also knew that eventually she _would_ be able to contact her army, and even if we were hopelessly outnumbered we would still had the upper hand with the element of surprise.

Zeus nodded.

\- Not bad, Son of Poseidon. Percy bowed, grateful for the comment. This was probably the nicest comment he had gotten from the king of the gods. Then a lot of things happened at once. Poseidon rose from his throne yelling: "Look out" while Annabeth drew her sword. "A monster! A monster in disguise" Someone yelled. It was too late. Percy winced as the sword pierced his stomach, and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Percy slipped in and out of consciousness, his body numb from pain. He wanted to open his eyes, to finally reunite with the people he had missed so much. The same people that now stroked his hair, mumbled sweet nothings in his ear, comforted him, wanted him to come back. Even if he desperately wished to see his family and friends again, his own body rebelled against him. He felt sweaty, feverish, and like _hell_ , like his insides had been a toy for his pet hellhound. A small part of him wanted to give in, to surrender himself. In the back of his mind he would think that the pain and suffering was all pointless. What was the point? How easy wouldn't it have been to just close his eyes and peacefully slumber for the rest of his life…

No. He was a fighter. A survivor. He controlled his mind to focus on the voices around him. The voices that mattered, some more urgent than others. In his painful state, he vaguely sensed someone occasionally squeezing his shoulder. Someone was sitting beside him, softly stroking his hair. More voices… then nothing.

The first time Percy woke up, he groaned in pain, rolled to the side and almost fell of the bed. Just his luck. A firm, but gentle hand gripped his shoulder and steadied him. He saw a mop of blonde curls and a pair of worried, grey eyes… Annabeth. How her grip could be gentle and firm at the same time, he had no idea. His head was clouded from pain. He wanted to say something to her, anything, to ease her worry, but he couldn't quite find his voice. He managed to croak something incoherently, before letting sleep consume him once again.

The next time he woke up, he felt a little less nauseous. He felt better, even. He took a minute to acknowledge his surroundings. Annabeth was sitting beside him, shoving a spoon with ambrosia in his mouth. He smiled at her, and even if he was dead-tired and his voice was still groggy and raspy, he said:

\- Here we go again. She rolled her eyes at him, but a soft smile was evident on her lips. She put aside the food of the gods, and said:

\- We almost thought we lost you there for a second… I am glad we didn't. I mean, I like my boyfriend alive and well and _with me_ … Percy gripped her hand, sensing her worry. She sighed.

\- I just think that various goddesses have a _very_ bad habit of abducting you and wanting to keep you all to themselves… Sometimes its Kalypso, other times Hera- and now Gaia…

\- Jealous, huh? He joked, while squeezing her hand.

\- No way, she retorted, and went to punch his shoulder, but seemed to suddenly remember that he was injured, and lowered her hand. His remark still earned him a smile from her. He grinned back, but it came off more like a grimace of pain. Annabeth interlaced their fingers, resting his hand in her lap.

\- But somehow I am always left worrying, waiting for you to come back, she said wishfully. Percy didn't know what to say. Disappearing for months had recently become a part of his job as a demigod, despite his own and his girlfriend's wishes. After a while, Annabeth said:

\- I am glad that you are not dead, Seaweed Brian.

\- Me too, he answered. Pretty soon he started to laugh. Annabeth looked at him like he might have gone crazy after all, but Percy couldn't stop the bubble of pure happiness erupting from him. Maybe it was hearing his old nickname, or Annabeth's slight twinkle in her eyes when she had playfully insulted him, or the warmth that radiated from her, or her hand in his… He didn't know. All he knew was that in that very moment, he was the happiest he could remember. Annabeth raised her eyebrow, asking him "What?", but Percy just shook his head and continued to chuckle softly. Annabeth looked down and smiled at their intertwined hands, deep in thought. Percy nudged her gently.

\- What are you thinking? He asked her curiously. She still had that faraway look in her eyes. She looked him in his eyes, grey meeting green, and gave his hand a squeeze.

\- You need a haircut, she answered, playfully nudging him back. He raised an eyebrow, and curled his lip upward, giving Annabeth her most favorite smile. She smiled back, her real smile, the smile without any traces of worry or sadness, the kind of smile that mostly was reserved for him. Their eyes were locked on each other, neither of them wanting to break the eye contact.

\- What are _you_ thinking? Annabeth asked after a while. Percy's heart did somersaults in his chest. The next thing he did was so stupid, so reckless and tactless, and just so Percy-like. Maybe it was the happiness of finally being back, being with her, and the thought of how easily this could all be snatched from him, with his luck and all. Maybe it was the way her warm hand fitted in his, the way he suddenly became so sure that he wanted to be with her, and only her, for the rest of his life. Or maybe he had just hit his head too hard. He suddenly blurted out:

\- Marry me. Annabeth froze completely, and this was one of the many times Percy wished he could read what was going inside her brain. She opened her mouth, and closed it, completely perplexed. It wasn't often Percy managed to stun her like that, but when he did, he mentally congratulated himself.

\- What? She managed to croak out after a while. Percy cleared his throat, but held his ground.

\- Marry me, he repeated. It wasn't even a question. That's how sure he was.

\- I want to marry you. I know I want to be with you, and only you. It doesn't have to happen today, tomorrow, or the next five years for that matter. I realize that we are young. But I am sure of it. Demigod lives are short. I don't even know if I will survive this day. But I do know that I want to spend every moment I get with you. I already messed up, Annabeth… I spent so long realizing my feelings for you, and then eventually admitting them… Between the demigod-heroic-saving the world-part I want to die knowing I did something good for myself, for us, for our futu… He was silenced by a kiss. When she broke away, she smiled and said:

\- Yes. This time he looked at her dazed and confused. She smacked her own forehead, before whacking the back of his head.

\- I will marry you, you dork. Percy, just now realizing what she meant, smiled so his face almost split in half and reached out to hug her.

\- But you are right. We _are_ young. We will get married in the future, when the time is right. I want to marry you too, and only you… They shared a smile.

\- Also: I am expecting a better proposal in the future, Kelp head. And a ring. Percy winked at her.

\- That's a promise.

But again, they were demigods, and their moment of pure bliss was cut off with someone barging in. That someone was Leo Valdez, in all his glory.

\- Hey, Percy! Glad to see that you are awake. The seven are summoned at Olympus. Annabeth groaned. Thunder rumbled outside.

\- What is it this time? Leo sighed, and said ominously:

\- It's the fates. They are planning to cut someone's yarn.


End file.
